The new cruise liner AIDAluna leaves the building dock

GEZE is onboard with door technology and glass design solutions for unlimited comfort and safety on cruise liners

The AIDAluna extends the world-famous AIDA Cruises fleet of liners to include another club ship. On 13 February 2009, the AIDAluna will first see the light of day in the truest sense of the word when the gates of the Meyer shipyard's construction hall in Papenburg open and the whole cruiser will be on view for the first time. It will then be given the final touches at the fitting out quay. On the weekend of 21 and 22 February 2009, the 252 metre long, 32.2 metre wide club ship will be transferred via the Ems Canal into the North Sea in front of thousands of onlookers, ready to start its maiden voyage on 22 March to its brilliant official launch and naming in the harbour of Palma de Majorca.

With thirteen decks, 1,025 passenger cabins, seven restaurants, eleven bars and a sundeck area of 6,400 m², the AIDAluna has numerous new features for its future passengers. Passengers will experience the innovative GEZE door technology through increased access convenience when opening the doors of the cabins, restaurants and bars, or, when strolling across the decks. The required security criteria have been indiscernibly integrated into the ship's door concept.

VTM version automatic sliding doors, i.e. with door drives specifically designed for marine transportation, which are corrosion and seawater resistant and accommodate all electronic components on the inside of the ship, are designed for a lot of coming and going. They make it easier to access the sun decks, restaurants, boutiques and countless entertainment and sports facilities. Automatic circular and telescopic doors supplement the specific architecture of the ship. On decks 3 and 10, where there is limited space, they also create the largest possible opening widths for gangway doors so that loaded up sun worshipers can conveniently reach the deck pools.

Automatic swing doors with individual actuation technology, e.g. via radar sensors, contribute to the ease with which the crew and restaurant personnel take care of the passengers. The "service doors" can be opened without any effort, are controlled without contact and reliably close again after use.

The cabin doors are conveniently and securely closed with a special version of the TS 2000 door closer with lever and sliding rail. The characteristic, uniform GEZE design continues within the safety concept, because safety is the top priority on board a club ship. For example, all Class A fire doors, i.e. doors made of inflammable materials, within the escape and evacuation routes are equipped with overhead surface mounted door closers typeTS 4000 and TS 5000 for door widths up to 140 centimetres and tandem-design TS 4000 closers for very large and heavy doors. In the case of danger they close reliably, even if the ship is in an extreme tilted position and they comply with the SOLAS Guideline requirements, i.e. the "International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea". The complete door technology was developed in close consultation with the Meyer shipyard, the AIDA Cruises shipping company and the responsible classification firm to ensure maximum safety and functionality.

In fitting out the AIDAluna, GEZE didn't just prove its expertise as a complete supplier of door technology. GEZE glass systems were used in the pool area on deck 10. An individually produced corrosion-free manual sliding wall system made of twenty glass elements arranged in a circle surround the DJ box and protect all the entertainment and stage electronics. The DJ's area can therefore be completely closed or opened as wide as is required, manually and without any great effort.

For more than ten years, GEZE demonstrates its strength for marine transportation expertise in the Meyer shipyard and is equipping the complete "Sphinx" club ship generation consisting of six cruisers: Just like the AIDAluna, GEZE equipped the two sister ships of the same design, the AIDAdiva and AIDAbella, and will also ensure state of the art door and safety technology for the AIDAblu, which is due to leave the docks in 2010. Two other AIDA cruisers, as yet nameless, which are due for completion in 2011 and 2012, will also be equipped by GEZE.